A Postcolonial Theory of Free Speech

This article reconstructs a postcolonial theory of free speech from the Nhân Văn-Giai Phẩm (NVGP), a free speech movement among intellectuals who proclaimed support for communist revolution in North Vietnam in the late 1950s, shortly after gaining independence from French colonialism. The NVGP argues that free speech is a collective right and can restore trust between the Party and the people, thereby invigorating the Party so that it can more effectively guide the people toward socialism. Free speech can do this by helping the Party redress their mistakes, identify what is good and bad for the people, and create a socialism that celebrates human diversity. Departing from theories of free speech that emphasize the individual, the NVGP’s theory overlaps with theories that emphasize free speech’s benefits for society but is distinct in terms of the problem it thinks free speech can address. Whereas John Stuart Mill, the eminent defender of free speech, believes free speech can address the dangers of conformity and the tyranny of the majority, the NVGP believes free speech can address the declining fellow-feeling between the Party leaders and the people. Furthermore, whereas Marxist theories of free speech tend to focus on how free speech can help the oppressed win power, the NVGP focuses on how free speech can help socialist transition after winning power, thereby building on Rosa Luxemburg’s writings on the role of free speech in building socialism.